Reunited
by KaylaDestroyer
Summary: This is the fourth story in my Diego/Sid series. It will be the last one unless I get reviews for more. Rated T for blood and stuff like that, but no language. Enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

Reunited

Chapter 1: A Discovery, A Dream, and a Vision

It was a year after the rockslide incident, and life was proceeding as normal. Except for Sid. He had begun to feel, unwanted and almost forgotten. There wasn't a female sloth alive that would ever take a liking to him, and it really brought him down. With Peaches going through her teen faze, Manny had all his focus on her.

Ellie managed to get some time with Sid when she wasn't taking care of Peaches, but it wasn't enough. Diego was usually sleeping the day away or hunting and Sid even missed when Crash and Eddie pulled pranks on him almost constantly. They had a new target now, a newcomer in the valley. Despite all the adventures he'd been through with his herd, he felt as though he was slowly being forgotten, melting into the background, becoming nothing but a shadow that followed the herd around. He was depressed beyond compare, but no one seemed to notice.

He started calling himself the things female sloths called him when he tried to make friends with them. Idiot, Simpleton, he convinced himself he wasn't any better than what he was called. He would stay up all night sometimes, criticizing, even cursing his own self. After about a week, the sadness in his heart that constantly threatened to make him burst out crying turned into a hard lump of unhappy feelings and self hatred. He would cause himself to cry every night, and only paused putting himself down when he was crying, then would start back up again.

Weakling, he called himself. Until one night, when a soul of hidden sympathy came to his poor heart's rescue.

…...

Diego had just returned from his evening hunt, and was walking back home, deep in his own thoughts. Over the past three months, he'd noticed Sid changing. He'd stopped hitting on female sloths, and wasn't very active in the herd. He would usually sit under the shadow of a tree, glumly. Diego wanted to say something to Manny about it, but something in his gut told him it wasn't for Manny to fix.

After all, he had a teenage daughter to tend to currently. His gut and his heart seemed to be saying _he _needed to talk to Sid about it himself. But he wasn't sure if that was true or just him acting up. Still, he thought Sid should talk about whatever was wrong with someone; he just wasn't sure when the right time would be to ask him about it. " Huh? "

He was suddenly startled out of his thoughts when he heard the faint sound of crying. Curious, he followed the sound, and it grew louder and more recognizable. He realized it was Sid. When he was close, he hid behind a tree, and peeked around it to see Sid sitting on the ground, sobbing his heart out. When the sloth stopped, he started cursing himself, and Diego discovered Sid had a vocabulary much more colorful than he thought.

" I'm nothing but an idiot, and everybody knows it! " Diego was shocked, how could Sid talk about himself like this? On and on he ranted, before bursting into tears again. Diego couldn't bear it, he wanted to comfort Sid in some way. Suddenly, something washed over his entire brain. A mode of knowing exactly what to do, from long forgotten experience.

He silently stepped out from behind the tree, walked over to Sid, and sat down right behind the sloth's back. Then he took both forearms and gently wrapped them around Sid's shoulders, which were shaking from the sloth crying. Sid instantly turned and buried his face in the fur on Diego's chest, curling up some, leaning against the saber, finding the slightest bit of comfort in Diego's embrace. He continued to sob, and stopped fifteen minutes later. He just sat there, resting his cheek against Diego's tear-stained fur.

He kept his eyes closed, shivering, whimpering every now and then. He finally stopped, and just sat still, breathing peacefully, gazing at the scene around the twosome. Diego felt relived, as Sid seemed to be comforted. He kept his arms around him, wondering what his next move should be. They both sat there for what felt like an hour, before Sid spoke up.

His voice sounded like he was ready to burst into tears again, and annoyed that Diego had come, " What do _you _want? " Diego was dismayed, and he felt unsure and awkward for a moment. Then he seemed to know just what to say.

" You're not useless. " he replied, remembering what Sid had said about himself.

Sid didn't look at him, " Yes _I am! " _he protested.

" No, you're _not_! " Diego replied, and continued before Sid could say anything. " Who was willing to climb up a hill on a dangerous series of steps, carrying a human baby, despite the probability of being injured? " he asked.

" I was. " Sid whimpered. " But- "

" And who helped Manny and Ellie fall in love, leading to Peaches being born? " Diego asked him.

" I did. " Sid answered. " It's just that- "

" Who taught me how to swim? "

" I did. "

" Who raised three baby dinosaurs by himself for a short period of time? "

" I did. I really miss- "

" Who stitched my side up, most likely saving my life? " Diego asked. Sid was silent for a moment, then he looked up at Diego, an unreadable expression on his face.

" I did. " he replied quietly. They stared at each other's eyes for a moment, neither knowing what to say. Diego became aware of the fact that he had laced his toes together behind Sid's back, and Sid became aware that he was leaning back against Diego's paws. They slowly pulled apart, neither breaking their gaze. Sid finally spoke, continuing to stare into Diego's hazel-green eyes. " Why did you come? " he asked.

" Because…I didn't like the sound of you crying. I wanted to comfort

you. " he replied truthfully, not blinking, staring into Sid's blue-green eyes. Fireflies began to hover around them, blinking on and off. Sid broke the gaze and looked around them, and Diego followed suite.

" They're really pretty. " Sid commented.

" Yeah. " Diego agreed. Then they fell silent.

" Diego? "

" Yeah? "

" While you were unconscious, after the rockslide, I told the herd about my past, but I never told you. "

Diego looked at Sid, " You can tell me now. " he said quietly. Sid breathed in, then out.

" When I was very young, my father was killed. He was the one who taught me how to sew wounds like yours. But he never got to teach me anything else. Soon after, my mother found a new mate, and he had a son. We treated each other like brothers, and we got along wonderfully.

Sometimes we forgot we were from completely different families, and we didn't call each other step-brothers. " Diego blinked. Why did Sid's story sound so familiar? " But soon after _that_, a problem with humans split our family apart, and I haven't seen either of them to this day. " Sid was looking at the ground now, eyes watery. " That's all I can remember, 'cause I was only about five months old when my step-dad and step-brother left. I really miss them. "

Diego was staring at Sid. Had fate planned this? " You know, that sounds real familiar. " he said. Sid looked up at him in shock. " When I was young, my mother was killed, then my father found a new mate; she had a son. No matter what life threw at us, we were the very best of the brothers, and it pained me when humans caused our family to split for our own safety. " The two stared at each other, not believing their own ears.

" What was your father's name? " Sid asked.

" Richard, Richard McFang. " Diego replied. Sid's mouth dropped open some.

" That was my step-father's name. It was a weird name for a sloth, unless…. " Sid trailed off, locking eyes with Diego again. The saber blinked.

" What was your mother's name? " he asked Sid.

" Sonya, Sonya Donfur. " Sid replied. Diego's eyes widened in shock.

" That was my step mother's name. Not to be rude, but I never imagined a saber with such a, petty, royal sounding last name. " he stopped, and they both froze, locking eyes once more.

" You don't think… " Sid trailed off.

Diego sighed some, baffled by what he was experiencing. He glanced at the ground, then looked back at Sid. " Sid, I think by some strange twist in fate, _my father, _and _your mother, _somehow fell in love. Making us…. I mean, the evidence we've claimed… " Diego couldn't finish. Sid stared at Diego, wide-eyed.

" I..I can't believe it. " Sid said, just as baffled as Diego.

" Neither can I. " Diego replied. " But I think we're…I think you're my… " he trailed off. He didn't need to finish. Sid suddenly wrapped his arms tightly around him, crying again, leaning against Diego, staining his fur with more tears. Diego sighed, and hugged Sid back, deep in thought.

This was his little step-brother, the only brother he ever had. And it had taken him this long to find that out. He had missed Sid; after he lost him, Diego couldn't explain to anyone how he felt, so he became a hard, tight little ball of secrets and hidden true emotions. He slowly drew farther and farther away from his father, and was glad and sad at the same time when he left his father to start his own life. The only reason he agreed with Soto to have revenge on the humans, was because they had parted him from his only sibling.

Now, he felt as though he didn't know _what_ to do. All he knew, was that he was glad his little brother was back. Back with him, and Diego would make sure he stayed with him.

Sid was dumbfounded, yet overjoyed. He had _finally _discovered his older brother. The one he remembered would play with him, sing to him at bedtime, help him with stuff, all so long ago. When he woke up from a nightmare, Diego would be by his side, and he would explain how Sid didn't need to be afraid, that dreams weren't real, no matter how much they seemed so. Sid had missed him so much, he had fallen into a daze of sadness, and the only way he figured he could cover it up was acting silly.

That silliness grew to acting way to immature for his age, and everyone thought he was an idiot. His own mother wondered why he was acting so strange. But now, his step-brother was back, and maybe Sid could act differently. He could show how smart he really was, who he really was, now that he had found what made him happy. But right now, he just wanted to be with Diego.

They just sat in silence for a while, hugging each other, so happy they had finally found their long lost sibling. Nothing could have ruined that joyous period of time. After a while, Sid sat up and stared at Diego, and slowly began to smile. " I missed you. " he whispered.

" I missed you too. " Diego replied quietly. He brought one paw up next to Sid's face, and let the sloth rest his head on it. Sid wasn't used to this sort of thing, but he got used to it quickly. After a moment or so, Diego took the paw away, and wrapped that forearm around Sid again. Then he took his other paw and touched Sid's face with it, he was his brother after all.

Then he pulled Sid close into a hug, smiling with joy, happy tears rolling down his cheeks. Neither could believe what was going on, but neither of them wanted to stop. Something suddenly crossed Diego's mind, and he let go of Sid. " Sid? "

" Yeah? "

" You probably don't remember this, but just before mom and dad split up, there was a fight. A human attacked the family, while the rest of its group attacked the rest of the valley. Our parents were hurt pretty badly, but he managed to injure us too. " Sid stared at him, shocked.

" How? Where? " he asked.

Diego turned his right shoulder toward Sid, and parted his fur a little, exposing a nasty scar. " He gave me a scar on my right shoulder with a knife, but luckily my fur grew over it. " He reached forward, and parted the fur on Sid's chest. " And he managed to scar you pretty deep on your

chest. " Sid looked down at a long jagged line of hard, red blood that ran from one side of his chest to the other, and gasped some.

Diego let go of Sid's fur, allowing it to cover up the wound.

" I forgot that was there. I felt as though I never _knew _that was there! " Sid said, and looked back up at Diego. The saber shrugged.

" You were very young then, so it escaped your memory easily. I remember our parents sending letters back and forth about how you and I were doing; doctor treatments and stuff like that. We were barely able to live. " Diego closed his eyes for a moment, " It was horrible living the way we had to. " He looked back at Sid, " I lost too much blood in my shoulder three times, and your heart nearly stopped beating twice.

Our parents were horrified. "

Sid stared blankly at Diego, shocked at all the things he couldn't remember. " How much older are you than me? " he asked him.

" Two months. " Diego replied.

" Wow. And you can remember all this? "

Diego shrugged. " Well, I was young too, so I can't remember every exact detail, but yes what I just told you I can remember. " Sid just sighed thoughtfully and looked at the ground. He looked back up at Diego and asked, " Didn't they stop sending letters at one point? "

" Yes. " Diego replied. " The same human was still after our family, and somehow he could understand us. Like what we say and how we write. He was somehow getting a hold of mom's and dad's letters, figuring out how to read them, a mixture of saber and sloth writing, trying to figure out our locations. So, in a desperate act to keep you and me safe, they stopped, and we never really saw each other again until we met Manny. " Sid stared at him, then sighed again.

" I never quite, understood why I couldn't be with you, or why mom never told me how to find you. But now I do. " he said.

" It was too dangerous. A family of four; two sabers and two sloths, traveling together, would have been too easy to pick out. We were like a mountain sticking out of a plain. Plus, anyone who noticed just a saber and sloth together a lot would start to wonder. Especially the human after us. " Diego said.

They just stared at one another again, unable to say anything more. " We should probably head back to the herd, incase someone wakes up and we're not there. " Diego said, and the twosome started home.

On their way, Sid asked, " Diego, should we tell them about this? "

" I don't know. I'm still unsettled with it all, it caught me by surprise, not saying I don't like it though. Maybe we should wait until we're comfortable with it. " Diego replied. Sid nodded, and they continued on in silence.

They arrived with the rest of the herd asleep, and lied down, closer to each other than usual, but not suspiciously close. The night was filled with dreams to them.

_Sid's Dream Starts-_

_Sid closed his eyes, and soon after, opened them to find himself five months old, clinging to his mother who held him close. He looked to his left and saw Diego, a seven month old cub, in the protective paws of his father. Both boys were scared out of their wits, and confused just as much. He looked around to see animals hiding where they could or running from strangely dressed humans, screaming bloody murder. Him and his family were crouched in front of a boulder, a human standing in front of them, looking ready to kill. _

" _Mommy, what's going on? " he whimpered._

" _Don't worry sweetheart, everything will be okay. " He heard his mother's calming voice, high above his head, and it gave him some comfort._

" _Daddy? Why is this happening? " He heard Diego's voice, a bit older than his, but he didn't turn to look at him, his gaze was fixed on the human in front of them._

" _Everything's going to be alright son. " Sid heard his step-fathers strong, confident voice, but still didn't avert his eyes from the human. It suddenly struck out, slashing his step-father with a knife, who cried out in pain and fell to the side. He heard his mother cry out, " Richard! " Before he could recover, the human slashed Diego's right shoulder with lightning speed._

_Sid screamed, " Diego! The cub cried out in agony, before coming over to Sid, and his mother held both of them. _

_The human was about to attack his step-father again, before he said, " Sonya! Take the boys and run! " Sid felt himself get scooped up in one arm, and then the rush of air against his face as his mother ran for their lives. He heard her puff from exhaustion, his brother's whimpers, and he could feel himself quivering. After a few moments, his step-father came up beside them, and took Diego in his mouth while running. Sid could hear the human's angry cries and curses as his parents ran._

_His parents turned right into a forest, and dodged left and right between the trees. This did nothing to throw the human off. They rushed into a cave, hoping the darkness would conceal them. The human followed them in. They traveled deeper and deeper in, coming to a cliff, immediately stopping._

_If they had run off, all four of them would have landed in a fast river, and Sid was sure even his mother couldn't have fought the current. They turned around to see the human grinning evilly at them, knife in hand, ready to end all their lives. His step-father slowly, gently set Diego on the ground, before lunging at the human, viciously biting him, rolling on the ground with him. He pinned the man down, ready to deliver the final death bite. Sid was about to look away, when the human kicked his step-father's stomach, vaulting him over the cliff edge, sending him into the river._

" _Richaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaard! " he heard his mother scream. _

_He and Diego wailed, " Daddy! " Sid's vision became blurry with tears, he felt horrified, confused, and sad all at once. The human stood up, turned to them, and grinned evilly again. He took a step forward, and Sid felt his blood freeze. A whimper escaped him and Diego, and his mother gasped. This was a terrifying moment, he was sure he would die-_

_Sid's Dream Ends-_

" SID! " came a loud whisper out of nowhere, jolting him out of his nightmare. He sat up quickly, startled.

" Huh? " He saw Diego sitting next to him, a worried expression on his face.

" What happened? You were moaning like you were going into labor in your sleep! " Diego whispered. Sid sighed. " Did you have a nightmare or something? " Diego asked again in whisper.

" Kind of. " Sid answered, whispering also. " When you told me about the human attack earlier, it brought it up in my memory. I was five months old, experiencing it all over again! "

" Oh. " Diego whispered. " Sorry. "

" It's all right. I don't think I even got to finish it. " Diego gave Sid a questioning look. " I mean you woke me after the human vaulted dad over the edge of the cliff in that cave, and grinning evilly at us. He took a step forward, knife in hand, and then you jolted me awake. " Sid explained.

" Oh. You got that far, huh? " Diego replied.

" Yeah. " Sid answered. He sighed again, and lied back down. He felt Diego cup a paw underneath his chin, and he looked up to see the saber smiling down at him. Sid smiled back, before his eyes fluttered closed, and he fell asleep.

Seeing Sid asleep, Diego took his paw away and lied back down too. He closed his eyes, formed a steady breathing pattern, and soon drifted off himself.

_Diego's Dream Starts-_

_The herd was walking through the woods. It was a pretty place; tall oaks, green grass, flowers here and there. The possums scurried through the branches, and Diego figured they were coming up with some sort of evil prank. Sid walked along side him, chatting away about his favorite mushrooms. He seemed to own more knowledge now a days. _

_Manny and Ellie were surprised that he was so smart, but Diego had a pretty good guess why. He answered a question Sid had asked him, and then saw something shift in a clump of bushes; there were quiet a few, mostly around the trees. Figuring it was probably just a rabbit, possibly a snack for later, he dismissed it. But pricked his ears high in alert, no longer paying attention to what Sid was talking about. He saw more movements in the bushes, and froze. Hackles raised, ears flat, fur on end, he stood, waiting to see another movement. " Diego? " he heard Sid._

" _Sh! " he commanded, and everybody froze, even Crash and Eddie, who were still up in a tree. _

" _Diego? " Manny asked._

" _Don't… move… a muscle! " Diego whispered. For a few seconds nothing happened, and Diego saw no more movements in the bushes. He slowly regained a normal stance, though he kept his ears pricked. " Did any of you see those? " he asked._

" _See what? " Manny asked._

" _Movements. Before we all froze, I saw a movement in the bushes. I thought it was just a rabbit. But then there were more. Too big and too many to be just one little rabbit… " _

_Diego trailed off for a moment, and was going to continue, when a voice said, " Smart kitty. Very smart. " The voice was soft, yet draped in poison, it sounded as though it had a Transylvanian accent to it, slightly. It made his blood curdle, and his fur stand on end in a straight line down his back. His head snapped up from examining the ground, and he saw a human standing, about twenty five feet in front of him. In its eyes, there was a look of hatred and love of cruelty and evil doing; yet a smile played on his lips._

_A smile that wasn't a real smile. Just something to hide the frown and glare of slanted eyebrows behind it. A smile to help him resist the urge to snarl viciously, and give away true plans. Diego would know, he had seen the exact same look on Soto's face many a time. Diego instantly went back into his stance; hackles high, fur on end, and his eyebrows slanted into a vicious glare._

_He recognized this human. He parted his lips, revealing two identical rows of sharp, pure white teeth. Also exposing the full length of his sabers. His eyes narrowed to slits, and his pupils did too. He released a growl; so ferocious and blood curdling he couldn't believe _he_ was the one making the sound. _

_He was glad his back was to the rest of his herd, for he was sure none of them would want to see him like this. The human lost his smile, completing his evil look, even enhancing it. He raised a hand, and Diego felt his whole body tense. The human snapped his fingers, and in the bushes surrounding them, more humans stood up aiming their strange weapons at the herd. He remembered those weapons; one shot in the chest, head, or any vital areas, was enough to kill a fully grown saber, and it didn't take many more to bring down a full grown mammoth. _

_The part that killed you was a very small, black, almost circular object, yet it packed enough punch to end someone's life in a split-second. He could hear Manny shift around, ready to attack the humans, but he knew that would prove fatal, " Manfred! Don't move! " he commanded._

" _What? " he heard Manny ask._

" _I've seen their weapons before, " he turned to face the mammoth. _

" _they're too powerful! One shot and I'd be dead! " he locked eyes, with Manny, and he reluctantly obeyed, stepping in front of Ellie and Peaches protectively. Diego turned back to the human, " What do you want? " he snarled._

_The human chuckled, and it sent shivers down Diego's spine, and made him want to back up, but he made no such movement. " Isn't obvious? " the human said. He and Diego locked eyes for a moment, and then Diego's widened. The human frowned again, and took a step forward. The humans prepared their weapons for firing. " I have some to finish what I began. " he growled….._

_Diego's dream Ends-_

Diego's eyes suddenly opened, and he sat up with a gasp. He looked frantically around, making sure he was really seeing the campsite and his herd sleeping. He looked anxiously to his right, where he observed Sid; snoring happily. He sighed with relief, " It was just a dream. " he told himself quietly, before lying down, falling asleep once more. 


	2. Chapter 2

i couldn't fit the title in the box, so it will just be on here. Thank you especially to Andy, who has read all of this series and seems to love it. Thank you to all who reviewed if this was posted to long after the first chapter, and please R&R for this one! :)

Reunited

Chapter 2: A Dream Continued, Another Discover, and an Attack

Diego woke up early next morning, stretched, and walked off a ways to a cliff where he could look out over a long beach of sand, and then endless ocean. He loved the smell of salt water that lingered in the air. He thought about the dream he had last night. _" That was a tense dream. " _he thought.

" _I wonder where it sprung up from. " _

He didn't have much time to think on it. His stomach grumbled, signaling it was time for his breakfast hunt. Diego sighed, and walked off, hoping to find something big today. His game had been small recently, like a buck, occasionally a doe. If he was lucky, he would come across a herd of bison or something.

Sid woke up late the next morning, yawned, and stretched. Then he scratched his stomach looking around the camp at the herd sleepily. He looked to his left, and for a moment, felt terrified and insecure for the fact that Diego wasn't by his side. He froze, eyes staring at the empty piece of ground next to him, before calming down, assuring himself that Diego was probably out hunting, an activity Sid wouldn't like to join. He stood up, stretched a little more, before walking off to a well known berry patch.

After getting breakfast, Diego headed back to the herd, assuming everyone was probably just waking up. He arrived to find Manny, Ellie, and Peaches standing up, and Crash and Eddie were stretching, still hanging upside down. Everyone was yawning. He grinned, then looked to the place where Sid was sleeping….Only to find he wasn't there. Diego's heart skipped about fifty beats and he felt as though his face had drained of its light orange color.

Knowing he needed to keep a low profile on his and Sid's new secret, he quickly calmed himself, knowing that sometimes Sid woke up early and walked off to find breakfast. But Diego was sure Sid had been there when _he_ had awoke. _" Probably woke up after I left. " _he thought.

" Morning Diego! " Ellie's bright cheerful voice broke his thoughts. He smiled at her.

" Morning Ellie! " he greeted her brightly.

" Already had 'yer breakfast? " she asked him.

" Yep. " Diego replied. " Has anyone seen Sid? " Diego asked, hoping to reassure himself his brother had just wandered off to find breakfast.

" No. When we woke up he wasn't here. " Many replied.

" Diego shrugged. " Figures. " He tried is best to stay totally calm, and not give away the secret. " Well, I think I'll go take a walk and wake up a little more. " he said.

" Is hunting not exhilarating enough? " Peaches asked. Diego smiled at the teenager, who resembled her mother as far as facial features; yet she had her father's strong-muscled build. She had a mixture of their fur color, too.

" Ahh, it's too regular to be _that _exhilarating! " Diego replied. He chuckled, and jogged off, hoping that he could find Sid. He felt very protective of him all of a sudden; as if when Sid was out of his sight that meant something bad was either happening or going to happen to him.

_Manny's POV~_

Manny watched Diego jog off, feeling strangely suspicious of the big cat. When he had said he didn't know where Sid was, Diego's eyes seemed to burn with fear and anxiety, even though they never increased size or anything. In fact, Diego showed no sign of that sort of feeling except in his eyes. It still put Manny slightly on edge. Perhaps he would talk to him about it later.

_Diego's POV~_

Diego walked along, scanning the area for Sid. He was traveling through a dense forest, and had some idea as of where Sid might have gone. He flinched every time a bird flew off a branch, or he heard a squirrel chatter. Something was wracking his nerves, but he didn't know what it was. Suddenly, he felt as though he was being watched, and froze.

_Sid's POV~_

Sid was sitting in the morning sunlight, although it did nothing to stop the Ice Age's naturally chilled temperatures. He was currently picking blueberries off a bush, munching on them happily. Nobody else was around, and Sid knew that at a time like this, you could get the best berries before anyone else. Mouth full of blueberries, he was about to get up and walk to a nearby strawberry patch, when something in his mind…some feeling told him to stay absolutely still. He froze, cheeks bulging, eyes darting around.

He slowly swallowed, and then, the feeling fizzed up, and he began to relax. He hurried to the strawberry patch, frightened by the experience.

_Diego's POV~_

Just as suddenly as it had come, the feeling of being watched disappeared. He slowly stepped forward, fear settling in his heart. Then, after a few steps, he broke out into a run, and his worry for Sid grew with every stride. He ran and ran, leaving the forest behind and entering an open clearing. He kept on running.

Finally, he slowed himself to a jog, then a skip, then a walk. He walked around. Looking for some telltale sign of his brother. Finally, he came to a blueberry patch, with most of the berries gone. It could only have been Sid.

He bent his head to sniff the ground, and came across Sid's footprints. His hopes rising, he followed the tracks until he found Sid stuffing his mouth with strawberries. He sighed with relief, and Sid froze.

_Sid's POV~_

Sid was happily devouring some luscious red strawberries. Then, out of no where, he heard a sigh, and froze. He felt that feeling again, like he was being watched, but it was slightly different this time. He didn't move, afraid and unsure. " What's the matter? I'm not sneaking up on you. " he heard Diego's voice right behind him, and jumped, gasping with surprise. Then sighed with relief.

_Normal POV~_

" Diego, you scared me! " Sid said, turning around to face his older brother. Diego grinned.

" Sorry. I wasn't trying to. " he apologized. They locked eyes for a moment, and a happy, contended feeling came over them for a moment. Diego looked away, knowing it wasn't the time for such a thing. " So, are you almost done with breakfast? " he asked Sid, staring at the ground.

" Yeah. " Sid replied. He finished his breakfast, and the two went for a walk. They chatted, and suddenly came to an area unfamiliar to them. They looked around in confusion, and then at each other, wondering how in the world they had gotten there. Suddenly, they heard a rustling in the bushes, and froze.

Slowly turning around, they glimpsed a pair of eyes staring at them from behind a bush. Sid took a fearful step back, and Diego stepped in front of him protectively. He growled ferociously, and the eyes flickered, and then disappeared, and there was rustle in the bushes. The stood still for a moment longer, before walking briskly in the opposite direction. Later, they found themselves home, safe and sound. But not for long.

They walked up to the herd, all bright and cheery as if they had gone on a walk and nothing else had happened. " Hey all! " Sid exclaimed, looking happy as a lark.

" Hey Sid! " Ellie replied, smiling at him.

" Did you have a nice walk? " Peaches asked Diego. He smiled.

" Well, it woke me up, that's for sure! " Diego replied. The day continued as normal, but Diego kept himself on high alert all the same. That night, Diego and Sid slept close to each other, and it got Manny more suspicious. The next morning, everything went along like normal, until Diego spotted some human footprints a few yards away from camp. Manny went crazy with worry, and Ellie got him to calm down.

They quickly left camp, staying close together. Many noticed that Sid stayed near Diego almost instinctively, which only raised his suspicions more. There was something going on, he just didn't know what yet.

Several minutes later, they saw more footprints, and increased their pace. After seeing the prints for a third time, they got suspicious that something was going on. Suddenly, they were ambushed by humans that wore weird clothes and had strange weapons. Manny, Ellie, Crash, Eddie, and Peaches stood frozen, not a clue what to do. Diego and Sid sprang into action, seeming to know exactly what to do.

"Come on! " Diego called while he and Sid ran through the trees, picking their way carefully. The rest followed them, dumbfounded. The humans chased them, firing their weapons in vain. Finally, the herd lost them, and stopped to rest.

" Ugggnn… " Crash and Eddie chorused, exhausted from the tensity. Manny and Ellie panted, and Peaches flopped onto the ground. She suddenly saw blood dripping off Diego's front leg.

" Uncle Diego! You're bleeding! " she exclaimed. Diego looked at his leg.

" Oh. I guess I am. " he said. Sid's eyes widened in shock. Crash and Eddie came over to examine his wound. Their frowned in confusion.

" What's this little black thing? " Crash asked.

" Oh that's a bullet. " Diego answered, and everyone ( save for Sid ) stared at him. Diego looked at the ground, cursing himself for slipping up. Sid didn't know what to do.

" Well, what matters is how to get it out and how to treat the wound right now. " Ellie said. " Are we supposed to take the bullet out, Diego? " she asked him. Diego nodded.

" Just very gently grab it and carefully pull it out. " he said. Crash tried and got it part way out. Eddie pulled it out all the way, and held it out away from his body, looking at it with a disgusted face. Diego hissed in pain while they pulled.

" And what are we supposed to do with it now? " Eddie asked. Sid's face was slightly green.

" Discard it, like bury it or something. Unless you want to keep it; then just wrap it up in a leaf. " Diego replied. Ellie tended to the wound on his leg, which was bleeding profusely. Sid helped her. After that, everyone just sat in silence.

" So, what should we do now? " Peaches asked. Everyone pondered the question for a moment, and Manny answered her.

" We should find a place to hide where they won't be able to find us. If we're the only ones they want, we need to keep our guard up. " he said.

" It's probably not _all _of us they want. " Diego muttered under his breath.

" What? " Manny asked him.

" Nothing. " They started walking to no where in particular, Diego limping badly. Sid walked by his side, ready to catch him should his bad leg cause him to fall. Manny wondered why the two were acting so different. Soon they came across the same footprints, and stopped dead in their tracks. They waited a few moments before pressing on.

After spotting the tracks again, Diego stopped and looked behind them, thinking. Sid stopped too. " Do you think we should follow them? " he asked out of the blue, and everyone stared at him. Sid cast him a glance that said

" _Are you crazy? " _" I mean, if we follow them, we might find out where their camp is, and maybe why they're here. " he continued.

" And what would we achieve from that? It's like walking into a death

trap! " Manny said. Diego put his head down, embarrassed.

" I just thought…I was only curious why they were here. I thought maybe… it might help us figure out a good hiding place too. " he said. Manny felt bad about what he had said. Diego was pretty brave wanting to go to the human's main camp after being shot by one of them. And following their tracks was a good idea, unless…

" I guess it's a good idea, just what if the tracks are there on purpose or something? " Manny said. " I don't want you to get hurt again, " he gestured to Diego's leg, " maybe even worse. " Diego smiled a little.

" I've suffered much worse. " he said. Manny couldn't help smiling. To him, Diego was part crazy, part brave, and all family.

" Alright. But we have to be careful. " Manny said, and the herd turned to follow the tracks of the mysterious humans.

_Two hours Later~_

The herd saw the dense forest clearing up ahead, and quickened their pace a little. When they made to the edge of the trees, they were met with a heart-stopping sight. Tall structures they couldn't name towered high in a valley far below. Black smoke curled through the air from some of them, and odd things with four wheels rolled about. In the center of everything, a gigantic structure loomed, tall, wide, and black.

Humans scurried around like ants in the midst of it all. The whole area was encircled by a strange fence, and two main gates constantly opened and closed, allowing things into the area or out of it. The herd's breath was caught for a few moments. What were these strange humans up to?

" What…is…that? " Eddie asked. Manny slowly shook his head.

" I don't know. " he said. Sid gulped, and glanced at Diego. Diego glanced at Sid, and they both turned around, walking quickly back into the forest.

_Diego's POV~_

Diego knew what was happening. They were back. The humans that had attacked his and Sid's home so long ago, were back. Maybe with the plan to kill even more animals than last time, and cause even more damage to the land. _" I can't believe they're back. " _he thought. After the humans had done the deed they had come to do, would he be able to stay with his little brother? Would he be able to stay with the herd?

_Sid's POV~_

Sid was terrified, the humans that had given him a scar and probably the one who kept him from seeing Diego for so long, were back. Who knew what they planned to do this time. Who they planned to hurt, what they planned to destroy. Sid wondered if he would still be able to stay with Diego after the humans had executed their plan this time. _" I can't believe they're back. " _he thought.

_Normal POV~_

" Where are you two going? " Manny asked the retreating forms of Diego and Sid, perplexed.

" Far away from all _that_. " Diego replied, not even turning his head when he spoke. The herd stared at them.

" And you have some idea of a place where they won't find you? " Manny asked slowly, catching up with them. Ellie, Peaches, Crash and Eddie followed.

" No, actually. " Sid replied, not looking at the mammoth.

" Then where exactly are you going? " Manny asked, becoming more and more perplexed.

" Somewhere far away from those humans. We'll be at least a little safe if we travel a distance they can't. " Diego replied. Manny stopped, watching continue walking for a moment.

" Why are you going _together_? " he asked. This was probably a good time as any to ask why they were acting strange. They stopped, and Diego whipped his head around to look at Manny with lightning speed. He stared the mammoth in the eyes. Sid looked back and forth between them for a moment.

" This is not the right time, place, or situation to answer that question. " he said, and turned, continuing to walk. Sid turned and followed him. Manny didn't have any other ideas, so he sighed and followed them. The rest of the herd followed as well.

_30 Minutes Later~_

They came across a sparkling lake, having covered much distance, and stopped for a drink. Crash and Eddie ran off playing, and Sid lied down for a short nap. Ellie played with Peaches, and Manny sat down beside Diego. They stared at their reflections on the water, the surface completely still and clear, not even a small ripple obscuring their images. Manny glanced at Diego's reflection.

At a first glance, his face would seem emotionless and blank, but upon further observation, his eyes, so bright and green, were storming with so many different emotions and thoughts. A hurricane of mind and soul. His ears were pointing to the sky in alert, swiveling and turning in different directions to receive different sounds. His sabers shone in the sunlight that filtered through the trees, and his lips were a small, calm frown. Yet it all could cast a dull shadow over his face, as if none of what was really happening existed.

Manny studied his own reflection. Every little thing he was experiencing was shown by something on his face. It draped his face in chaos, all the things clambering around on it. He tried to calm himself, and cleared his mind. Keeping that calm feeling in his mind, he let everything else flow, but the calmness was only seen a little bit.

He couldn't conceal his whole self the way Diego could. He felt a little jealous; the first time he had felt jealous since he was a child. Then again, what had Diego gone through to be able to perform that? Could a hard childhood of hiding his true feelings given him the talent to hide what he was thinking and feeling in plain sight? What was Diego's childhood like?

Manny stopped, realizing how much he could experience just by studying Diego's face. He looked at the saber himself, instead of his reflection. He looked back at the reflection, studying his eyes. He saw worry, anger, sadness, protectiveness, and love all swirling together amongst each other. It brought up about ten questions off the bat in his head, but he ignored them.

His focused on Diego's lips. They did look like a straight line, but if you looked carefully, they were slightly bent at their corners. Manny also noticed that his eyebrows were slightly drawn, and it all created a hidden frown. For the first time, Manny really studied Diego's coloring and markings. He was a light orange mostly, but he noticed white in some places beside his stomach and chest.

Around his eyes for example. His eyebrows seemingly joined with white fur underneath his eyes, and there was also white around his lips. His ears were also tipped with white. The windblown looking fur on the side of his head was edged with white, and Manny wondered why he hadn't ever noticed this all before.

At the corner of each eye, there was a touch of black, and Manny knew that all cats had that mark. He wondered what went on inside Diego's head every day; what he thought when he was angry or sad, what kind of dreams he would have at night. He wondered if Diego used this glazed look a lot, and would thought about a lot of different things without anyone knowing he was thinking about something.

" Manny? " Ellie asked him out of no where. Her calm voice sliced through his thoughts like a saber's claws through flesh. He turned to her.

" Yes Ellie? "

" You okay, sweetheart? "

" I'm fine. "

" Good. " Ellie smiled. " Do you want to grab a snack with me? " she asked him.

Manny smiled. " Sure. " he replied. They walked off and found a few apple trees and began to eat and talk.

_Diego's POV~_

Diego's thoughts tumbled around in his head, he didn't know what to concentrate on. For a while, his minds eye sat back and watched thoughts and memories tumble around together, with no order. He finally picked one out; a memory from when he and Sid were little kids. Sid was trying to climb a tree, and their parents weren't paying attention. He had stood right underneath the sloth incase he fell.

Sid clambered up the branches, learning as he went. When he had reached the height of his liking, he tried to climb down. But when he was near the ground, one foot slipped and he fell, screaming. Diego used his own body to break Sid's fall, and felt as though his back had been broken. Then their parents rushed over making a big fuss.

He smiled at the memory, then moved on to another thought. It was another memory, the day that his father had told him he wouldn't be able to see Sid for a long time. _" But why, Papa? " _he had asked his father.

" _So that we will all be safe. If we stay together, that human will find us. You'll see Sid again someday, don't worry. " _his father had replied. Diego frowned for a moment, before reminding himself that he had Sid back now, and he would make sure Sid stayed with him; for ever and ever. He smiled, and looked over at the snoring sloth.

Now knowing the truth, he couldn't help but feel affection for Sid, the way Crash and Eddie felt about each other. He hoped that he would be able to explain to Manny, and that he would be able to stay with Sid if the humans had some new plan of destruction. He stood up, stretched, and decided to find a small snack. He caught raccoon, and then proceeded back to the resting site. Nothing had changed.

They traveled for a few more hours, covering a lot of distance. They bedded down for the night in a cave they found, and slept far in the back as a safety precaution. Sid dreamed again.

_Sid's Dream Starts~_

_Sid was clutched in his mother's grasp, Diego beside him. The human was staring at them with wide, evil, greedy eyes. Sid was scared to death; he didn't want his life to end now. Suddenly, he saw light orange paws gripping the edge of the cliff for dear life. Was it-? _

_Suddenly, his step-father heaved himself over the edge back onto solid ground, and lunged for the human. The two legged creature turned, but wasn't quick enough to avoid being slashed with large claws on the side of his face. He screamed in pain, and turned his gaze toward the saber. Blood dripped down his face in a gruesome way, and Sid felt like throwing up. He made to stab at him, but Richard jumped to the side and jumped onto his back, making his knees buckle and fall. _

_He scratched and bit the human all over, and although Sid closed his eyes, horrible screams of pain and agony echoed throughout his small head. He wondered if this was the only type of situation his step-father would hurt someone like this. After a while, the screaming stopped and was replaced by whimpering. He lowly opened his eyes, and quickly averted them from the human, gazing at Richard. The saber had blood on his muzzle and paws, but other than that, he had small injuries from the human._

_He turned away to lick himself, and Sid's mother cautiously walked over, and_ _allowed Diego out of her grip. The saber cub ran to his father. After some squirming, she let Sid go too. After Richard had thoroughly licked_ _himself, the family headed out of the cave. They slowly walked around, observing the dead bodies that lay everywhere_.

_Some animal, some human. Some things were so gruesome, Richard and Sonya turned Diego and Sid's faces away. When they finally left the site, they went home for the night. But the next day, both boys were brought to the hospital. Well, technically a saber hospital and a sloth hospital. _

_Sid suffered through many agonizing nights, and his heart stopped beating three times. He wrote letters to his step-brother and –step father, and so did his mother. The family had been the only survivors from the attack, and the hospital was posting guards outside incase it was attacked as well. Sid missed Diego so much, he_ really _wanted to see him. But he knew Diego was_ _in a hospital as well, and the doctors claimed that traveling anywhere in his state was madness. _

_He still wanted to see Diego though. The cub was the only sibling he ever had, and being away from him only made the situation worse for Sid. He wished he could see Diego, he wished he could so bad… _

_Sid's Dream Ends~_

Sid woke up groggily, feeling depressed. He slowly looked around the cave, the sadness from his dream hanging over his mind like a cloak that wouldn't come off. When his eyes settled on Diego, who was lying next to him, he smiled, his mind jerking off the cloak of sadness. The events in the dream were so long ago. Now, Sid had Diego by his side, hopefully forever.

Noticing it was still dark outside; he lay back down next to the saber, falling asleep once more. He didn't have any more dreams, which he was glad of.

The next morning dawned bright and early, and as usual, Sid slept in, and Manny woke him up once they were on the move. Sid gathered his breakfast along the way. He walked up front with Diego, which was unusual, but nobody commented. They walked for hours, and stopped to rest many miles from their previous rest spot. To Manny, it seemed like they were making good distance, but Diego wasn't satisfied.

He seemed to be doing this not for his own safety, but to protect something else. Sid and Diego made lot's of conversation, Sid hardly talked with anyone else. It seemed as though overnight Sid and Diego had realized how good friends they were, and were finally getting along for the most part. But all this only stirred suspicion in Manny. Yet another feeling, o0ne that said Diego and Sid were acting this way for a special reason. He didn't know what that reason was. At least, not yet.


End file.
